


The Orpheum

by Immortal_Dreams



Series: for the love of April [4]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: 2009 instead of 1995, Alex Mercer Has Anxiety (Julie and the Phantoms), Alex Mercer Has Bad Parents (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex Mercer-centric (Julie and The Phantoms), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bobby is a good friend, Canonical Character Death, Gen, M/M, Mpreg, Pre-Canon, Unplanned Pregnancy, different timeline
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:29:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28773873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Immortal_Dreams/pseuds/Immortal_Dreams
Summary: What's supposed to be the best day of their lives quickly spirals into disaster.Part 4 of the series.
Relationships: Bobby | Trevor Wilson & Alex Mercer, Bobby | Trevor Wilson & Alex Mercer & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters
Series: for the love of April [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2004718
Comments: 11
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry for how long this took. Uni had me drowning in work. Still, I think it's a little embarassing. I mean, when I started this, Luke was still the only one with a last name...  
> ANYWAYS! Time for the Orpheum.
> 
> Also, I'm not a doctor and all the medical info came from a quick google search, so...yeah. Good chance some things are just not realistic.

**OCTOBER 16, 2009. 20 WEEKS.**

Today’s the day. Today, they’re going to become legends.

Alex wakes up early, not because of nerves—though he definitely is nervous—but because April seems to like kicking him awake at six in the morning. On every other day, Alex usually rubs his bump until she calms down and he can catch another hour of sleep. But as soon as he remembers what day it is, sleep is out of the question. In less than twenty-four hours, Sunset Curve is going to play the Orpheum. 

So, instead of trying to sleep, Alex gets out of bed and takes a shower. The hot water does wonders for relaxing his sore muscles and he calms down a little. He takes his time washing up. His parents are out of town, so no one will mind him wasting a little water. Eventually, he does get out and wraps himself in the fluffiest towel he owns. (It’s pastel pink. His parents hate it.)

Choosing clothes to wear is easy. He only owns two pairs of pants that still fit, one of which is in the washing machine right now. Most of his shirts are pretty tight and not really comfortable, so he puts on an older light pink t-shirt he accidentally bought a few sizes too big. Luckily, Alex likes his hoodies to be big on him, so all of those still fit. He just goes for his favourite one. As for shoes—well, he always wears the same pair of sneakers anyways.

When that’s done, Alex still has almost two hours until he needs to leave for school. He ends up making himself some sandwiches for breakfast, even though he’s not hungry at all and feels a little nauseous because of the nerves about the show tonight. It’s going to be the biggest gig they’ve ever had. Right now, they’re closer than ever before to actually achieving their biggest dream and Alex is terrified. He’s terrified of messing up, of ruining their shot at stardom. He’s afraid of something going wrong tonight. What if there’s a blackout? What if a water pipe suddenly bursts and floods the Orpheum? What if Luke gets sick and they’re suddenly without their lead singer? Today might be the most important day of their lives and it _just can’t go wrong._

Luckily for Alex, April’s kicking pulls him out of his panic in time for him to get to school on time. He manages to push those thoughts to the back of his mind as he rubs his bump. The sandwiches are quickly put into lunch boxes and thrown into his backpack and Alex grabs the keys to his car and leaves the house. He still gets to school before Luke does. And that’s mildly concerning, considering Alex has only five minutes left until class starts by the time he gets there. Reggie and Bobby are already waiting at their lockers when he rushes in. Luckily, neither of them questions his explanation of having slept through his alarm. (Alex doesn’t even have to set an alarm anymore most of the time.) Luke finally runs through the doors moments before the bell rings and the four of them just barely make it to class, not being able to avoid the teacher’s glare at their last minute entrance.

The time in class passes way too slow for Alex. He’s bouncing his leg up and down, too nervous to really follow what the teacher’s trying to explain. To be fair, Reggie, Bobby and Luke are not doing much better. Luke doesn’t even look like he’s trying to pay attention and Alex is pretty sure he can see Reggie already doodling on his page. Bobby is doing quite a good job pretending to read his textbook, but from where he’s sat, Alex can tell he’s holding it upside down. Considering he’s not able to concentrate either he doesn’t really blame any of them. 

What normally doesn’t feel long suddenly seems like an eternity. And the thing is, Alex actually likes school. But right now? All he can think about is that they’re less than 12 hours away from performing in front of a gigantic crowd. That maybe when the day is over they’ll have made it. That their dreams are this close to coming real. Right now, Alex really wishes they could have skipped school. But then again, that would have lead to the school calling his parents which would have lead to him possibly not being able to play the Orpheum and that’s pretty much all he wants to do. 

When the bell finally rings, Alex lets out a sigh of relief. That relief lasts for all of five seconds before he remembers this was only the first class of the day and he’s got like five more before he can leave. He almost puts his head in his hands and groans out loud. Looking at his three best friends, they don’t seem to be doing much better. They barely even make it to lunch without going insane. And at lunch all they do is complain about why time can’t pass any faster and that all they want to do is get out of here and prepare for their gig. 

The first class after lunch they’re split up. Alex doesn’t know how the other three are feeling but his anxiety gets worse without them next to him. When finally, _finally_ , the last class of the day is over, they meet in the parking lot.

The four of them all pile into Alex’s car and drive over to the garage. Once there, they pack up their instruments. By now it’s done quite fast because they’re used to doing it basically every other week. The drive to the Orpheum doesn’t take a long time but they still feel extremely relieved when they do get there. A few employees are waiting out in the parking lot for them and help carry their instruments and set up inside. Alex doesn’t really let them help with setting up his drums because he does prefer to do that on his own. Yeah, sure it’s harder with the bump getting in the way but he’s the only one who knows all the settings he wants. Setting drums up correctly is harder than it looks, okay?

The sound check goes well. They’re all having fun even though no one’s actually listening. And even if Alex will not admit it to anyone, he does agree with Reggie that he did well on his solo. Yeah, he’s really insecure about pretty much everything about him but he is aware that his singing is not bad. And, he thinks, maybe tonight really is the night to own his awesomeness like Reggie said. He follows the boys when they go to flirt with the bartender even if he really does not want to. He’s way too gay to join in with the flirting, thank you very much. So in contrast to his friends, Alex is able to keep thinking clearly in front of the hot girl, and yes, even he can objectively say that she is an extremely attractive woman. 

He’s really glad when they decide to leave for hot dogs. He didn’t notice during the soundtrack but he is pretty hungry by now. When he sees that the hot dogs are sold out of the hood of a car he does think about changing his mind though. Especially when the seller isn’t even remotely worried about pickle juice getting on his battery. But he pushes his worries down and follows Reggie and Luke to sit on the sofa. They don’t seem to be as worried as he is. The first bite of the hot dog tastes positively horrible and Alex isn’t really sure if it’s the pregnancy or the hot dog just really being bad. He makes a comment about it but Reggie brushes it off. Alex decides that probably means it is the pregnancy, so he pretends to be enjoying the hot dog. He just eats very slowly hoping he will be able to just throw the rest away once his friends are done. They know he normally loves hot dogs so he can’t just throw it out now without them getting suspicious. But to be honest, Alex is pretty sure he will puke if he eats all of it. 

A little while later Reggie starts complaining about feeling sick and not too long after that Luke is clutching his stomach. Alex doesn’t really get what’s going on at first. But then his friends are rolling around on the ground in pain and he’s starting to feel nauseous. People call ambulances but they take another 20 minutes to get there. By that time Alex feels his stomach cramping painfully and Luke and Reggie have started coughing up blood. They are each loaded into different ambulances. Alex doesn’t need to see it to know that two of his best friends in the whole world are doing way worse than he is. The paramedics won’t tell him anything about their conditions. And from how he’s feeling whatever is going on with all of them is bad. Like, _really bad_. Of course he won’t go without a fight, not when it’s not just his life he’s fighting for. 

The paramedics think it’s some kind of poison. They also think he shouldn’t be experiencing the cramps he is. That confusion is cleared up when he tells them about April. It seems he is having early contractions. Once they know that, they do their best to get Alex to a hospital as fast as possible. There, they tell him, they can give him an infusion with medication that will hopefully stop the preterm labour. Apparently, the medication isn’t stocked on the ambulance. Alex is honestly a little too out of it to follow everything they say, both the shock and pain getting to him. Add to that the fear of loosing his little girl and he’s an anxious mess.

He’s wheeled straight into a hospital room as soon as they arrive, a doctor entering just moments later. Alex’s hands are shaking as he rubs his still cramping stomach, staring helplessly at all the people surrounding him. He’s crying so much he can’t even make out anyone. His breathing is also probably way too fast, but he can’t stop himself from slipping into a panic attack. The world around him blurs even more as he descends into the panic. Before he fully loses his hold on reality, two hands grab his shoulders and shake him a little.

A voice breaks through the panicked haze. “Hey. Hey, listen to me. You need to breathe, okay?”

Alex blinks in confusion, but his vision grows clearer as he follows the instructions the voice gives and copies the breathing its owner shows him. Slowly, the panic lessens to a point where he can wipe the tears out of his eyes and look up at the person in front of him. To his utter shock, it’s Doctor Frey. Alex blinks a few times, sure that can’t be right.

“Don’t you work in the mornings?” he says, surprising himself with how shaky and weak his voice sounds.

Dr. Frey lets out a short laugh and smiles at him. “A colleague got sick. Let’s be happy I agreed to take over for her, huh?”

Alex finds himself nodding.

“Can you tell me what happened to you?” Dr. Frey asks.

“We had bad street dogs, I think. Are my friends okay?”

Dr. Frey exchanges a look with the paramedics. They have a sad look on their face, but shrug. 

“I don’t know, but I can ask about them, okay? What are their names?”

“Luke,” Alex says, “and Reggie. Uh—Lucas Patterson and Reginald Peters.”

Dr. Frey nods. “Okay. I’ll ask. But right now we need to make sure you’re okay. I’m told you’re experiencing preterm labour?”

“I—I guess? I don’t know anything about this, it just hurts a lot.”

“We’ll hook you up to an IV and give you something that will hopefully stop that,” she explains. “We don’t know what kind of poison was in that food, but as soon as we do, we can give you an antitoxin. In the meanwhile, we’ll give you some activated charcoal you’ll have to swallow. That will keep more poison from entering your bloodstream.”

“Okay,” Alex says.

The charcoal tastes absolutely horrible, but Alex guesses it’s a necessary evil. A nurse comes in and sets the IV up, starting him on the medication. He finds it hard to sit still, with him still having no information about how Luke and Reggie are doing. Additionally, the cramps (Alex refuses to think of them as contractions) are still there. The nurse told him it’ll take a while for the medication to work, but it’s hard to do nothing. Still, all Alex can do is wait.

He has a hard time keeping his thoughts from drifting to the worst possible scenarios. He tries, but with nothing to do, Alex keeps going over the what-ifs. They should be on stage by now, damn it! This was supposed to be the best day of their lives, their most important gig ever. And now they’re missing it. Oh, god, Bobby must feel awful. Alex’s eyes widen. Does he even know what’s happening or is he sitting backstage, wondering why his three best friends ditched him?

“Fuck,” Alex whispers.

Just as he moves his hand to push the button to call a nurse and ask for someone to contact Bobby, the door to his room slides open. Dr. Frey enters, a small smile on her face.

“How are you doing?” she asks, not moving out of the doorway.

Alex shrugs. “The same, mostly. Still cramping.”

Dr. Frey nods. “Okay. I’ll tell a nurse to up the dosage. But I’m actually here to tell you we’ve identified the poison. We’re getting the antitoxin delivered here as we speak. In the meanwhile, I’ve got someone who’d like to keep you company.”

Alex tilts his head in confusion, but his face lights up as soon as the person steps into the room. “Bobby!”

Bobby exhales shakily, letting out a big breath. A reluctant but relieved smile spreads on his lips as he rushes over to Alex and pulls him into a careful hug. Alex buries his face in Bobby’s shoulder, hugging him back. A minute later, they break apart as a nurse comes in and adjusts Alex’s IV. Bobby sits down in a chair next to the hospital bed and grabs Alex’s hand.

“I’m so fucking glad you’re okay,” he says.

“Me too,” Alex says. “I’m just so happy you’re here. And I’m sorry.”

Bobby furrows his brows. “About what?”

“Well…” Alex scratches his head, then puts one hand on top of his bump. “I guess you know about this by now?” At Bobby’s nod, he continues. “I was so scared of my parents finding out, so I just didn’t tell anyone and I’m sorry for that. I know you guys would never judge me for this, I swear.”

“Alex, it’s fine.” Bobby shakes his head. “I get it. And we’ll—… _I’ll_ be there for you. All the way.”

It’s at this point that Alex notices the tears in Bobby’s eyes. Not only that, but his whole face screams of sadness. Add to that the slip-up…

Alex gulps. “Bobby…” he says, uncertain he really wants to know. “What’s going on? Do you—how are”

Bobby’s face says everything and Alex lets out a sob. Tears are already forming in his eyes.

“They’re gone,” Bobby whispers, a single tear running down his face. “Luke and Reggie—they’re dead.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, I'm not a medical professional and this might be very incorrect. it is also almost 5am and i'm very tired so i hope there are no typos

**OCTOBER 17, 2009. JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT.**

Alex feels numb. He’s barely registering what’s going on around him. There are tears running down his face but Alex doesn’t try to wipe them away. He’s half convinced this is a bad dream and he’ll wake up and everything will be back to normal. Right now, he’s not ready to process things. He’s not ready to admit to himself that nothing is ever going to go back to normal. In fact, there won’t be a normal anymore. Because two of his best friends are dead. Gone. Not coming back. And Alex is still here, unsure if he’ll ever be ready to live without them.

Bobby hasn’t let go of his hand since he came into the room what must have been a few hours ago now. In that time, Dr. Frey has come to check up on him a few times, but all Alex could tell her was that the pain was still there, and she could have gotten that information from the monitors next to his bed too. Maybe she hoped the monitors were wrong. Alex is too out of it to think about that. If he were any more aware of the situation instead of being stuck inside his own mind, he’d be worried sick. And probably halfway to a panic attack. Because if he wasn’t still in shock about Luke and Reggie’s deaths, he’d realise that he’s on the last dose of the medication the doctors can give him without causing damage. And that, if this one doesn’t stop the preterm labour, they will have no choice but deliver his baby. 

The only thing on Alex’s brain is a single question: How did everything go this wrong? This was supposed to be the best day of his life and now it’s the worst. He was with Reggie and Luke just a few hours ago, laughing about some _stupid_ thing. How is it possible that he’ll never hear them laugh again? He’ll never get to talk to them again. And he doesn’t even fucking know what the last thing he said to them was. Probably something stupid, something that didn’t matter. He should’ve told them he loved them, that they were the best friends, the best family anyone could ever wish for. 

It’s only when he feels a sharp pain in his abdomen that Alex pulls himself out of his mind. At first, the pain doesn’t seem special, but when it stays even after a minute has passed, Alex frowns. Bobby catches the change in his expression almost immediately and leans closer to him.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

Alex squeezes his eyes close for a moment and focuses on his breathing, willing the pain to go away. It doesn’t. He shakes his head.

“Do you want me to call someone?”

Bobby’s already reaching for the button when Alex nods. Within a few seconds, Dr. Frey rushes in, followed by a nurse. She comes to a stop right next to the bed.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, checking the monitors.

Alex tightens his grip on Bobby’s hand and looks up at her. “Pain,” he says, placing his hand on the spot it’s in. “Won’t go away.”

Dr. Frey frowns at that. “Well, that’s strange,” she says, “because the monitors actually show the contractions lessening. By all means, the pain should become less, not more.”

She checks the monitors again, shaking her head when they still show the same thing. “I’m going to see if I can feel anything, okay?”

Alex nods and Dr. Frey lifts up the blanket covering his lower half. At this moment, Alex is kind of glad they didn’t make him wear a gown but rather a shirt and pants, both made out of the same material hospital gowns are made of, though. Dr. Frey almost drops the blanket when it’s halfway off and then basically rips it the rest of the way off, throwing it on the floor. Eyes wide, she turns to the nurse.

“Get me an ultrasound machine in here,” she instructs, voice urgent. “And alert OR we might be coming in.”

The nurse nods frantically and rushes out of the room. Alex, in the meanwhile, has no idea what is going on. Panic rises in his chest as he looks back and forth between Bobby and Dr. Frey, hoping one of them will say something.

“What’s happening?” he asks, breathing already getting faster.

Bobby swallows, looking no less panicked than Alex is feeling. “I—there’s _blood_ , Alex. A lot of blood.”

“What?” Alex’s eyes snap to Dr. Frey. “Why?”

She doesn’t answer right away because the nurse comes back with the ultrasound machine. “I can’t be completely sure without checking,” she says, squeezing gel onto the wand and pressing it to Alex’s stomach. 

For a few tense moments, no one says anything as Dr. Frey pushes the wand around to find the source of the pain. Alex forces himself to take deep breaths in an effort to keep the panic at bay, though it doesn’t work as well as he’d like it to. When Dr. Frey finds what she’s looking for, she curses under her breath and puts the wand to the side, not caring about where it’s supposed to be.

She turns to Alex. “You’re having a placental abruption. We need to go up to the OR _now_.”

Alex stares at her. “What?”

A few nurses are already rushing into the room and disconnecting him from the contraction monitor. Bobby jumps up as they start moving the bed, not letting go of Alex’s hand at any point.

“The placenta has partially separated from your uterus,” Dr. Frey explains. “That’s what’s causing the bleeding. Additionally, fetal heart rate is too high for my liking. We have to perform a c-section right now.”

“What?” Alex exclaims, voice an octave higher than normal. “No, it’s too early. She can’t come out yet. I’m only twenty weeks!”

Dr. Frey grabs his free hand. “Alex, listen to me. If we don’t do this, you will both die. Do you want that?”

Alex stares at her for a moment, then shakes his head and wipes some tears out of his face.

“Okay,” Dr. Frey says, “then let’s do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY!! 
> 
> (if you want, you can scream at me on tumblr @the-immortal-dream)

**Author's Note:**

> Uhh....yeah.
> 
> Chapter 2 should be out soon.


End file.
